By Ryan Price
Copyright manchestereveningnews
The first named storm of the season is approaching the UK as we speak, but when exactly when it hit and what are the extreme conditions it will bring? After initially declaring a yellow warning for wind and rain across several regions, the Met Office updated the alert to an amber ‘danger to life’ warning on Thursday. This update applies to northern and western parts of Scotland and comes into force from 5pm on Friday. It will remain active until 9am on Saturday. The amber warning brings with it the possibility of power cuts, travel disruption and particularly dangerous conditions near coasts. Low-pressure systems moving in from the west and southwest will trigger a shift towards far more turbulent conditions in places. Met Office Chief Forecaster Neil Armstrong said: “Within the amber warning area, gusts in excess of 95mph are possible from Friday evening and into Saturday morning as Stormy Amy brings a risk of power cuts and damage to buildings and trees.” Elsewhere in the country, including Greater Manchester , gusty winds of up to 70mph are possible. The national meteorological service expects Storm Amy to hit the UK at around 5pm on Friday evening . It will move in rapidly from the west and its effects will be felt initially by those located in Northern Ireland , along the coast of Wales , the north west of England and western parts of Scotland. Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office Tom Crabtree said “there is still some uncertainty about the exact track Storm Amy will take”, but added that most areas will feel its wrath to varying degrees. The storm will be at its peak for around 24 hours from Friday night until late Saturday, but people located in any of the affected areas are being warned to expect increased levels of rain and winds for a few days following Amy’s height. Weather experts are keeping a close watch on the storm’s development, with its formation being shaped by what remains of Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda across the tropical Atlantic. These weather systems have sped up the jet stream, helping to create and strengthen Storm Amy.
